Welcome back to “Praying the Names of Jesus.” If you missed the explanation for the name of
Jesus we’re studying this week, click here or scroll down to Monday’s entry.

The Lord will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem;
the earth and the sky will tremble.
But the Lord will be a refuge for his people,
a stronghold for the people of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54)

Reflect On: Joel 3:16 and Matthew 27:50-54.
Praise God: For the greatest of all victories.
Offer Thanks: For the specific victories Christ has won in your life.
Confess: Any tendency to forget what God has done for you.
Ask God: To increase your hope.

The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago boasts a collection of some of “the world’s rarest, most beautiful big cats, including African lions, Amur tigers, leopards from Asia and Africa, jaguars from South America and snow leopards from the Himalayas.” I remember strolling through the lion house several years ago, feeling a bit depressed as I watched a magnificent lion pacing restlessly in his cage. He had forepaws powerful enough to break a zebra’s back, eyes keen enough to hunt by starlight, hearing so sharp that he could detect prey as much as a mile away. All were useless to him in that caged environment. I stared and the huge maned head stared back at me. Then suddenly, this great, sad beast opened his mouth and let out the most earsplitting, heart-rending sound imaginable. I was so startled that I nearly hit the vaulted ceiling above me, and no wonder since a lion’s roar can be heard from five miles away!
The Gospels tell us that Jesus cried out just before his death. John’s Gospel supplies the words: “It is finished!” These are not the last gasping words of a dying man. No, the Gospels say that Jesus cried out in a loud voice and then gave up his spirit! It was a shout of triumph, the raised fist of victory! Jesus had gone willingly to the cross, fulfilling every detail of the mission the Father had given him. Having won the struggle for our souls, it was as though the great Lion of Judah had roared from the cross itself.
No wonder the earth shook, the curtain of the temple ripped apart, and people rose up from their graves! Jesus, the conquering Lion, could be neither caged nor killed. Through his victory he has made a way for sin to be forgiven, for death’s power to be rolled backward. By dying Christ shows us the lengths to which God’s love will go. By rising he shows us the heights to which God’s power will stretch.
The cry of Jesus on the cross still reverberates, still heralds the news of what God has done for us. As believers we need to shape our lives toward that victory, even when we feel defeated. We need to remember that no matter what or who is against us, God is still for us. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah is reigning from his throne, protecting us, purifying us, and using even the worst of circumstances to our advantage.
Today as we consider what Jesus has done, let us lift our voices in praise of the One who humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Let us remember that God has exalted him to the highest place of all and given him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
–Ann Spangler
Adapted from “Praying the Names of Jesus” by Ann Spangler, with permission. Each day for five weeks, learn to better understand the nature and character of Jesus through his many names. Did you miss any entries? Stay subscribed to this feed and you’ll receive the entries you missed once the feed restarts.